Chance Meeting
by angel-with-a-scythe
Summary: Ancient Egypt.SethAtem,BakuraAtem YAOI.The pharaoh is being manipulated by the strings of his high priest.Things go wrong, and the pharaoh gets kidnapped by Bakura, what will happen to him in his absense? Ch. 6!
1. Blind

Scythe: What am I doing? Writing Fanfiction. Damn it... Yes, readers, I'm writing once again... and.. it's.. Yu Gi Oh... dies damn it for sucking me in! 

Diclaimer: I don't own the characters, I just own the plot. Thank you.

Warnings and stuff: Strange. Dark(at points). Random Humor. Yaoi. Lemon(will be posted on probably). Ancient Egypt (the best fanfiction to read )

Pairings: Seth/Atem, Bakura/Atem

Chance Meeting

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Ra rose up over the land of Egypt, shining his bright light down upon the palace of the Pharaoh and his people. He extended his warmth with his outstretched arms of sunshine, hugging the content land of sand... and poking the young Pharaoh right in the eye. The said pharaoh groaned softly and roused, sitting up in his bed with his messy hair and squinted eyes. He shielding them from the blinding beams and moved out of the way, stretching and huffing as another new day invaded.

"My Pharaoh..." A soft voice came from the door. A servant was bowing low at the door, keeping his eyes averted from the royalty that stood before him. "There has been a bath prepared for you."

"Thank you..." The Pharaoh smiled. "You may leave. I will go by myself over to the bath house."

"Yes, sir." And the servant disappeared, never making eye-contact even once with his beloved Pharaoh.

Atem stretched once again, gathering himself and running a brush through his hair before leaving, on his way to the bath. As he walked, servants bowed and then went about their daily jobs, cleaning this and taking care of that. The ones that greeted him at the door of the bath house already stood with towels and clothes, soaps and washes, scrubs and gold, waiting for their respective jobs to be fulfilled.

He smiled again, and let a servant strip him, then slid into the warm water, reveling in its luke warmth. For a long while, he just stared at the ceiling, reflecting on his years as Pharaoh, which weren't many. He was still quite young for a Pharaoh, but he believed that he had been doing everything correctly, and he believed his people loved him. His father, and former Pharaoh, had died when he was still young and naive, leaving the people in doubt to the new pharaoh which was to take his place.

The boy was so young; the high priests had to rule for two years before they accepted the young prince. And what high priests he had were always so kind to him, yet firm, always offering advice and counsel when he needed it, and not afraid to stand up and tell him when they thought he was doing something wrong. Though, technically, they really had no say in what went down in final order... at least, they hadn't yet.

The Pharaoh motioned for the servants and, ready to act, they cleaned him, washed him, dried him, and dressed him. Standing now, fully clothed in his royal attire, he left the bath house, escorted by one, and was returned to his room, where he supplied the final touches to himself. Eyeliner upon his eyes, making him look threatening yet sexy, and Egyptian musk oil was rubbed into the skin of his neck, chest and wrists. Then finally, the one that had accompanied him handed him his gold bracelets, armbands, anklets, and headband, among other gold things, helped him put them on, and then escorted him back out, and to the throne room.

He sat on the large, gold plaited throne, ready to receive the problems and suggestions from his people.

To his surprise, none came that day, but Seth, his most favored high priest. The said high priest bowed before him, then rose, facing Atem, and staring him directly in the eyes. "My Pharaoh, I wish to speak with you in private, as there has been... a problem in the town."

"Oh?" The tri-color haired pharaoh raised an eyebrow in surprise. This was the first time he had ever heard of any sort of trouble amongst his people. Perhaps those dirty thieves were starting something? "Yes, I will grant you such privacy, for I wish to speak with you about something as well."

"Yes, my Pharaoh."

"Good. Accompany me to my chambers."

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Run. Run. Run. Run.

Faster. Shadows.

Dead End.

Trapped. Anger. Sorrow. Defiance.

Damn.

The thief hissed, turning to go back the way he came, only to find the stupid guards closing in on him. All he had been doing was running today, and he really didn't feel like it any more. In and out of shadows, and now he was at a dead end. Frustrated, he found himself not willing to give up, but what could he do? He was caught trying to rob another tomb and now he had to pay. But would he? Of course not! He was the king of thieves, and he could get out of anything...

"Stop where you are, Tomb robber!"

"Like I have any choice, you nitwit." He replied, his emotions suddenly cool, calm, and collected.

The guards looked at each other, slightly confused, and angry with the insult. Though, moving ever closer, spears pointed, they cautiously poked at him, wondering if he'd try anything funny.

"Yes, I am a human being, despite what you must think." The thief snarled, smacking the tip of the spear away.

"You are to be placed under the supervision of the high Pharaoh and taken into custody by-"

"Yes, yes, I'm under arrest, I get it."

Why was this thief so calm? Had they the wrong person? ...No, of course not. He must be trying to trick us, one of the guards thought. But they managed to get him and shackle him securely, and drag him back to the palace.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"Seth, it is with great worry that I speak to you now. The other high priests think that you may be... tampering with my orders. In other words, they think you might be trying something stupid..." the Pharaoh finished, dropping the formalities. "I do not believe them, of course, but I do want to hear from you. Seth, please tell me why they think this?"

"I am not quite sure my beloved Pharaoh. I swear to you I have done nothing but follow your every order and whim." Seth advanced upon him, pulling the slightly shorter Pharaoh into his arms and kissing him deeply. He felt the younger man nearly melt into him, as all doubt was erased from his mind, just as planned. Within minutes, the Pharaoh was half undressed and moaning softly as Seth kissed down his chest and groped at his beautifully tanned skin.

"Seth..." The young one breathed, clutching at the high Priest tightly, as if he was his last life line.

"Atem..." The priest breathed back. It was a very bold move, calling him by his real name, as not many were allowed to. Only those who were close like family. But the Pharaoh hardly noticed, too intoxicated by the feelings and blind love he felt for this other. In fact, the royalty loved to hear his name fall from Seth's lips, for he hardly ever heard his name, and was beginning to think he didn't have one.

From the cracked door, eyes peered into the Pharaoh's chambers, narrow and disgusted. Not by the fact that it was two males, but by the fact that this one knew Seth was manipulating the Pharaoh with his good looks and charm, and it was putting them all in danger.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scythe: Sooooo? How is it? Is it good, or what? Well, I should hope so. I honestly like how this is turning out... I mean, I had the skeleton of this plot, but no meat... and now its starting to fill in. WOO!

Bakura: You know... the intro to this fic would have been so much better if you had left out the whole 'poked him in the eye' bit.

Scythe: ... o.o.... So?! 

Bakura: ... and... in the contract that I signed, it never said I would be captured by the guards of that stupid pharaoh.

Scythe: GAH! Shut up! They might hear you! You gave it AWAAAYY...

Yami: Not like they couldn't tell anyways...

Scythe: Anyways, please Reviewwww!!! I beg of thee!


	2. A Glimpse of the past

Scythe: Woo! Success (I think)! Even if it is just a little. Anywho, I'd just like to say to all the other yaoi YuGiOh authors out there(most of them) YOU ALL SUCK ASS. I'm tired of your crappy stories about Ryou and Bakura! Oh no... Ryou is going to commit suicide.. who will help him? Or: Bakura saves Ryou from a suicide attempt.. could love blossom? (GAG). Or perhaps this sounds better? : Ryou is depressed and has a near death experience... Bakura comes to save the--- GAHHHH I hate you all! GET CREATIVE. And even if it's not about suicide.... BAKURA ISN'T INNOCENT. He would never call Ryou 'darling', ok? For gods sake he's insane and mean and selfish, he is not going to call the one he loves 'darling'. dies but thanks anyways for the good laugh... I'm sorry I had to rant about that... Thank you all for sticking with this fic.

Bakura: ....

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Standard Warnings: Yaoi. Random Humor. Seth/Atem. Bakura/Atem. Betrayal, blah blah blah.. just read the friggin fic 

Disclaimer: ... I don't own them...

THANK YOUs!: Elusia, for telling me that eye liner is called kohl! I shall be using this word from now on huggle-ness. You... are my favorite reviewer! (Bakura: Oh no.. .not this again... ). And Sheero, because you're my 'Bakura' XD and you were the one that came up with this plot with me! I'll be adding the whole 'rock scorpion' thing in later, if you know what I mean. )

WTF?'s: AkutenshiRyou, what the hell are you talking about? Dorobou? Where in my summary does it say 'Dorobou'. I'm sorry, but I honestly don't know who this Dorobou is. I should hope it isn't Anzu's Egyptian... thing... (please tell me no)

Chance Meeting- Chapter 2

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Shifting from under the sleeping, naked Seth atop him, Atem slid off the bed and grabbed a robe, pulling it around himself. He looked into the reflective metal that was his mirror, tilting his head this way and that. His kohl was slightly smudged, but nothing he couldn't fix right away. He began to dress himself in new clothes, getting comfortable, and fixing bits of his hair that weren't already perfect. Noting the fact that he never took off the gold while having sex with Seth, he found it was just easier, and less time consuming if maybe... he never took it off?

He left the room, leaving Seth in peace, and as he walked down the hall, he found a servant rushing to him. The servant screeched to a halt, bowed, and stood straight, arms at his side. "My Pharaoh, I have just been sent to tell you that it appears the guards have caught the king of thieves."

Again, the Pharaoh thought. Three times before had they captured him, and three times had he escaped. Now, again, they had caught him. He sighed, and smiled tightly. "Is that so? Again?"

"Uh... Y-yes, Pharaoh."

"Wonderful." The royalty said, sarcastically. "So why don't you just go tell them that I said to keep a closer eye on him."

"Yes, Pharaoh." And with that, he scurried off.

That stupid King of thieves again! That dirty tomb-robber! How he hated hearing of him, robbing this, killing that. It was all so repetitive, and yet every time they caught the bastard, they couldn't keep him under control or watch him for that split second he always seemed to escape? It was so frustrating... He grit his teeth with this, fists clenching as well, and just as he was about to continue walking, he felt strong arms encircle his waist, and warm breath on his ear.

"What's gotten you so angry, my dear Pharaoh?"

Seth.

He leaned into him, sighing softly. "They've got the king of thieves... again."

The high priest snorted softly. "For the king of thieves, he sure gets caught a lot, doesn't he?"

"Are you saying my guards are incapable?" The semi-god tensed, bristled in offense.

"No, of course not. I'm saying your guards are just too good." Seth countered carefully, but what he really thought was: yes, of course they are. They couldn't keep a cat in a sealed box if they tried!

The Pharaoh seemed to accept this, pulling away from Seth and stretching some, then turning and smiling at him. "Well, Seth, both you and I have work to do." And with this, he turned and left. Seth could smell the intoxicating scent of the Egyptian musk from Atem and took in a deep breath, smirking. He had him wrapped around his finger, and nothing could change that.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Five guards were dragging the king of thieves into the palace, or trying to, as the beautifully tanned, white haired thief struggled. He growled and hissed, thrashing, and another guard came to aid the first five to hold him down. He smirked. It was so thrilling to see these weak guards try to hold him. The only reason they were able to even stay on their feet was because his hands were tied behind his back. They had learned on the way after a few face plants that his feet had a mind of their own as well, but still, they were still too stupid to tie them up.

Why was he struggling, when he hadn't before, one might ask? He struggled because he loved the attention that he got. Stares from other guards, or random bystanders, thieves and more, where all he needed. He knew that they knew he was the king of thieves, and he also knew that they knew he'd escaped three times from these stupid guards, and poorly made cells. That's why they looked at him with fear and contempt, disgust and hatred.

Finally, one of the guards got smart, and kneed him directly in the stomach. Doubling over, the white haired thief hissed and closed his eyes with the slight rush of pain. When he opened them again, he was on his knees and staring up at the face of the pharaoh, who stared back blankly.

He'd never seen the pharaoh before, so to see him now was not only a shock, but it also sparked in him a plan... a plan that wouldn't fail.

"Pharaoh." The guards said, formally bowing, shoving the thief down as well. "This is the king of thieves, Bakura."

But the royalty said nothing. In fact, he only continued to look at him, then to the guards, and left. Bakura suddenly felt offended by this, growling and wrenching himself from the guards and rushing after him. For some reason, just a look from the pharaoh was not enough. He wanted words... he wanted acknowledgement. He was detained from behind again and thrown back. The pharaoh never once looked back at him.

The guards began to drag him off to the dungeon below.

He vowed, then, that he would make that pharaoh look at him, acknowledge him, and fear him.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Atem sighed, staring out at the setting sun. He had cooped himself up in his chambers and sat, now, on the balcony. In the distance, he could just barely see the Nile River. It's brilliance still shone, glittering like a thousand tiny pieces of gold and diamonds. People had already drowned in its beauty, taken in by its loveliness. For so long, people actually believed that there were jewels beneath the water's surface, but you could only retrieve them at the time they showed.

Yet, even though he was comforted by the beautiful sight of water, he felt uneasy; that something was going to happen soon, that would be devastating. For what, he was not quite sure. Would it be his country? Would he fall ill? Would that stupid thief escape, again, he thought suddenly?

But why would that be so devastating?

He sighed again, placing his chin in his hand as he looked out at the Nile with his half lidded eyes, unaware of the eyes that watched him.

Seth turned from the doors of the pharaoh's chamber, shutting them quietly with practiced ease.

For a long while, now, the high priest had been pulling the strings around here, without many knowing. Those who did know were either his slaves, or killed by some freak 'accident'. Though, he thought, the other priests were beginning to suspect him of something, and it would be harder to kill them off. Tonight, he planned to poison the pharaoh, and of course, gain his trust even more with the fact that he'd be 'so worried' and 'wouldn't leave his side'.

Eventually, he would drive the pharaoh to a state in which he would trust no one but Seth, himself. It was a brilliant plan that had already been in action for several years. It was a shame it took so much time, as the pharaoh was actually well trained in whom not to trust, but once his father had died, it had all been down hill from there. Of course, the pharaoh would never know that he had killed his own father by bringing him the same drink as he would be receiving tonight.

Yes, Seth had poisoned the pharaoh's drink when he was young, instructed to do so by his own high priest, who was training him...

. . . . . . . . . .

"Seth, my young apprentice, I wish for you to perform your most important task yet."

"What is it?" The young, brown haired boy asked, tilting his head to the side as he gazed up at his master and trainer.

"We are delivering this gift to the pharaoh tonight at his nightly meal. It is a lovely, aged drink, hard to find, and very rich. I wish for you to put this in his glass before you carry it out to him." The old man placed in his hand a small vile of clear liquid, and the large bottle of alcohol, somewhat of a wine, and a beautifully decorated goblet.

"Alright." The smaller one agreed, knowing exactly what was in that little vile. Poison.

His master sent him off, and he made his way to the dining chamber. To his surprise, he met the young pharaoh-to-be on the way, and he told him of his 'gift', leaving out the bit about the poison. The little once insisted he wanted to help, so he let him. Outside the dining hall, Seth poured the glass of wine, and slipped the poison in while the young Atem wasn't looking, then handed him the glass.

"Here. Take this to your father, but it's a surprise, so say it's from you. I know how much it will mean to you, I'll just get him a different gift, ok?"

The little pharaoh-to-be happily giggled and nodded, and opened the door, and brought his father the drink.

Seth smirked, as minutes later, the poison had worked into his system, and the high pharaoh was sweating, and his breathing had sped up. Thus, to distract the other, Seth grabbed the young Atem and ushered him away, saying he wanted to play.

By morning, the pharaoh was deathly sick, and did not recover, dying in the late afternoon. Poor Atem was so traumatized, that he had hid himself in his room. But never did he connect the drink and the death.

. . . . . . . . . .

Seth smiled evilly to himself. He remembered shortly after, he poisoned his master as well, and killed him the same way. And now, it was time again to slip some poison into a drink.

Little did he know, he'd also be in for a surprise.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . .

Scythe: Whoo, sorry. No humor in this chapter. None that I can recall, anyways. Yeah, my chapters are kinda short, but deal with it, and I'll give you wonderful lemon and delicious plot... or.. I mean... wonderful plot? and .. delicious.. lemony... wait.....?

Bakura: Anyways, while she contemplates that, I will finish this off for her. The stupid author wants you to review, ok? Tell us what you think... Go damn it!


	3. Kidnapped

Scythe: Well. I'm coming to love this story, but I'm so sad because I feel you guys don't like it... I usually get about ten reviews at least for one chapter... and I'm sitting here with like... 5... per chapter... it... makes me sad T.T But I will continue this, because I love it. Now, on with the random comments:

Standard Warnings: YAOI. Random (probably sick) Humor. Seth/Atem, Bakura/Atem. This and that, if you've read this far, you should already know this stuff. So on we go.

Disclaimer: I don't own the YuGiOh Characters; I'm not making any profit. This is just for fun, blah blah blah.

Thank You's: **Anastasia**- for telling me things I already knew :D. But thanks anyways, really. I know they like, fall to their knees and things, but for this story, I need them to be slightly... un-Egyptian(I'm really sorry readers ). It just makes things easier for me and less awkward on the story. But! I have an offer for you, so please go to my profile and e-mail me. I'd like you to, perhaps, be the editor of this story (since I hardly have time to do it myself). If you're interested, like I said, e-mail me, and tell me your info, like if you have any instant message systems. (I also have a few questions to ask of you , my expert on Egyptology). And lastly, thank you for being the first reviewer of Chapter 2. Ta Da. presents Anastasia with... a dung beetle May Ra be with you! You are my FAVORITE reviewer! (Look how long your thank you is :D)

Bakura: ... The sad thing is, I think she ACTUALLY means that Anastasia is her favorite reviewer.

Scythe: Hey... all my reviewers are my favorite reviewer.

Bakura: I know. That's the scary thing about it, and now... you actually mean it... um... more than usual? Ugh, just get on with it you idiot writer!

Scythe: ... =.= Ok, ok!

**Chance Meeting**- Chapter 3

Seth gazed at his beautiful self in the reflective metal mirror, tilting his head from side to side; making sure every detail was perfectly set. After a few minutes of just staring and loving the mirror, he pulled on his hat, completing his formal attire, and set off to meet the Pharaoh at their private dinner.

Checking carefully to make sure the vile of snake poison extract was firmly tucked away, the high priest snuck into the smaller, private dining hall, and smiled as he saw the Pharaoh fumbling with his clothes. The high priest had to admit that this pharaoh certainly wasn't ugly. In fact, he was quite the sight to look at, especially dressed in gold... or simply nothing at all. Not to mention, Seth thought, he was the best fuck he'd ever had. Ah, the only use for that pathetic Pharaoh, the priest concluded, stepping forward to make his presence known, and forcing a smile onto his face. He saw the pharaoh visibly light up and straighten, even saw him blush shyly, and smile back.

Bowing low before he dared look the Pharaoh in the eye, he picked up a bottle of flavored water (1), and poured them each a drink. When the Pharaoh averted his eyes to look to the servants bringing in platters of well prepared food, Seth took his chance, and slipped the poison into the drink.

He slid the goblet to Atem, and raised his own class. "To your wonderful rule."

The Pharaoh rose his own glass, gently tapped it against Seth's, and took a long drink. It was very delicious and very refreshing, the royalty thought, and such a rarity in his kingdom. Setting the goblet down, the pharaoh began to dig into his food, examining it and then making his poison tester taste it. He waited, making sure everything was tried, and when no one was falling over dying, choking, or anything as such, he nodded to Seth, and they began to eat.

Seth smiled to himself, peeking at the pharaoh as he slipped some food into his mouth. Any minute now, he thought, the pharaoh would start to sweat, and feel dizzy. He saw him take more of the tasteful liquid into his mouth, and smirked again. The more, the better, the faster, he thought. He took a sip of his own drink. He knew how to make things seem less apparent. By doing pretty much whatever the pharaoh did, it would raise less suspicion with anyone. Especially the stupid little servants that actually enjoyed serving the pharaoh... Such as the ones that were watching him carefully this very moment.

How he hated people who watched him constantly. He looked over to one of the servants, smirking at him sexily, and the reaction he got was perfect. A blush graced her features, and she looked away, shifting uncomfortably. Now that she was distracted, he felt a little better. She wouldn't be looking back at him for a while.

Remembering he was supposed to be monitoring the pharaoh's conditions, he looked back over to the tri-color haired ruler, expecting to see the beginnings of sweat, and his breathing to have been sped up... but he found this wasn't happening. In fact, it seemed the pharaoh had more energy now. Puzzled, the high priest was thankful he'd brought extra vials. Perhaps he'd given him the wrong thing?

No, that was impossible. He did have the vaccine for it, yes, but it was still safely tucked away. He narrowed his eyes some, and sat up straight. "My lord pharaoh," he started. "I wish to speak with you in private, if it is not too much trouble."

Atem looked up at him, blinking slightly, and then nodded, dismissing his servants. Once gone, the golden pharaoh smiled slightly at Seth. "What is it?"

Without words, the high priest rose and strode over to his side, kneeling doing beside his chair, and taking his hand into his. "I wish to give you a gift tonight." He whispered softly, leaning up to grace his lips over the pharaoh's ear. "A gift that only you may receive from me..." He felt the younger one shiver, and get the basic picture.

Now he could distract him much more easily, and poison his drink... again. He nearly crawled into the pharaoh's lap, capturing his lips and kissing him deeply. He heard a small, surprised moan, and he began to work his magic, slipping his hands into his own clothes pockets to retrieve the poison, and dumping a much larger dosage into his drink. He pulled away, looking into the pharaoh's now half-lidded eyes, and smirking. A blush tinted his cheeks, much like that of the girl-servant he'd smirked at earlier.

How naive this little pharaoh was. He'd never found manipulating so easy. Then, teasing the pharaoh slightly, he pecked his lips and told him, "But you have to wait for later..."

The pout that was suddenly on the soft, beautiful lips was really, very entertaining, and he rose. "Would you like another drink?" Without waiting for an answer, he poured some more of the flavored water into his cup, mixing the poison thoroughly. How he loved to think of the snake venom lacing through the pharaoh's body right this instant. "Another toast?"

"Yes. To you and your success as high priest." Atem offered.

"Oh, you are too kind, my pharaoh. I do not deserve your praise." And he really didn't.

"No, no, Seth. You have always been the one I can trust the most."

Oh goody, Seth thought mockingly. But it was good, he noted, that the pharaoh already trusted him more than anyone. He smiled, and raised his glass into the air, gently knocking it against Atem's and they took a long, long drink.

Good. Now I know for sure that he's drank it. Who knows what could have happened while I wasn't watching. Some stupid servant could have changed his goblet, for all I know, Seth contemplated.

But now, all he had to do was wait.

And wait he did. He waited a good hour, and still nothing. Could it be, he wondered, that the pharaoh was... immune? He felt his eye twitch at the thought. No... It couldn't be possible, could it?

"My pharaoh, I have a question."

"What is it, Seth?"

"Were you sick often when you were a child?"

The pharaoh looked up, thinking hard. "You know, now that I think about it, I was. Especially after my father died," he mumbled softly, sadly.

That was it... he was poisoned, on purpose, as a child, in small doses, so that his body would be immune! Damn it all! Seth's mind raged on, anger flooding through him. So, he pondered, when he poisoned his father, the high priests had taken extra precautions and made him immune to poisons... but there had to be some sort of poison that he wasn't immune to. He would find out what it was... and he would get it.

After their delicious dinner gone bitter, Seth had told the pharaoh to wait for him in his chambers, and that he needed to bathe. He called it somewhat of a purification ceremony that he preformed before going to the pharaoh's bed chambers. He always found Atem flattered that he'd go through so much trouble. It was almost sickening how easily he manipulated this young one! Nothing could come in his way.

Atem took a deep breath, looking himself up and down in his mirror. He was always making little perfections before Seth came to him, making sure everything was just right. At the moment, he was making sure candles were lit in his room, as it was getting quite dark. But not only did they supply light, they supplied a romantic atmosphere for what was to come.

He sniffed his arms slightly, hoping his Egyptian Musk was still on, but it was getting weak, so, out of pure habit, he applied more to his neck, arms, and chest. He loved the smell so much; he ordered his oil in bulk from a merchant.

He wasn't a very wealthy merchant. In fact, he was quite poor, and many of his advisors had told him not to buy such filth, but he'd never found anything better, so he ordered in secret. The merchant was very kind, and wasn't like most merchants, who got extreme ego's when the pharaoh would buy even one thing from then. He was old, and just trying to make a living by selling his oils and herbs, and never once bragged or told anyone his best customer was the pharaoh.

Sighing softly, he took another deep breath, reveling in the scent of it. He purred to himself and reapplied his kohl to his eyes. The finished product was absolute perfection. One might call it godliness if he wasn't already known for being a walking god.

There was a knock on the door, so soft, it could only be Seth. But when he opened the door, there was no one there. His brow furrowed and he stepped out into the hall, peeking every which way.

"Seth?" He called softly. Was the high priest playing hard to get again? Ugh, he hated being teased.

Well, he decided, I'm not playing by that game. And he slipped back into his quarters, a bit frustrated as he plopped onto his bed. Only for a moment did he sit there, and the door was knocked upon again. "Come in!" He said, taking a different approach, Seth peeked in, and then smiled.

"I knew it was you."

"Of course, who else would it be?"

"Well I don't know. Why did you run away the first time? You know I hate being teased."

Seth stopped, confused. What was this 'first time' he was speaking of? He narrowed his eyes slightly, taking a cautious look around, but nothing seemed out of place, or strange. The brown haired priest let his gaze once again fall to the pharaoh. "What first time?"

"Did you not knock on my door before?"

"No, my pharaoh, I did not."

He saw the high pharaoh tense slightly and look around, he too, concluding nothing was out of place. He licked his lips slowly. "If this is joke, Seth, I'll have you mummified alive."

"I assure you, pharaoh, it is no joke."

"Well then, when I find who it was, I will have him mummified alive. You know I hate to be toyed with."

"Yes, I know..." he smiled. "I'm sure it was nothing. Perhaps you were hearing things? You always get so anxious when you're waiting for me." Seth said slyly, pulling the pharaoh into his arms and kissing at his neck. At once, his nostrils were invaded by the intoxicating smell of Egyptian musk. It made him weak for the pharaoh, and almost drove him insane. He found himself pinning Atem to the bed and kissing him hard, hands sliding along his body, enjoying the smooth skin.

A small moan was heard from those delicious lips, and the semi-god's body arched slightly into the air, rubbing against Seth's. The candles flickered slightly, but either was too busy to notice.

Until, suddenly, the candles went out, and both stopped dead in their tracks.

"Is the window open?" Seth asked.

"...No."

They sat in complete silence for a long while, waiting for their eyes to adjust. But when they did, they found they weren't alone in the room. There was just the slightest movement from a corner and Atem sat up, shoving Seth from him slightly. They watched carefully, waiting to see what would happen. And there it was again, that movement.

"Stay behind me." Seth said quietly. He was damned if this stupid prankster was going to ruin his perfect opportunity with the pharaoh. He'd kill him soon enough.

"I'm afraid that won't do." The voice said. "You see, I need the pharaoh, not you."

That voice sounded awfully familiar... But he just couldn't place a finger on it. Seth gritted his teeth. "Very funny."

"I don't believe I said it was supposed to be funny."

The intruder found his eyes straying over to the beautiful pharaoh. Perhaps he should have waited to blow out the candles so he could have seen more skin? Wiping that thought away, he regained his serious composure. He had to get this stupid, two-timing high priest out of his way before he could continue with his plan. He was going to prove to him just how sneaky he could be, by yanking the pharaoh right from under him.

He slid very slowly into the darkness of the corner, and Seth's eyes widened slightly. He could no longer see the figure, couldn't see movements, or hear breathing. He swallowed. This was serious. This was no prankster.

"Aghh!"

The Pharaoh looked around frantically, standing quickly. There was no mistake... that had been Seth's voice... and it sounded as if he was in pain. He quickly, frantically held his hands out, searching for him through the darkness. His hands found something hard... and it was directly in front of him. He felt up and down, fingers tracing the thing, and he soon heard a voice.

"Like what you feel?"

He jumped away. He had felt the intruder's body?! He quickly dashed around him, nearly tripping over something. That was funny, the only thing on the ground was his bed and a rug...

No... Seth?!

He got to his knees, hands finding the body of his high priest and shaking him. "Wake up... Hey! Seth?!"

"He won't wake up, Stupid Pharaoh, now just give up and come with me."

He said nothing, glaring in the general direction of where the voice was coming from. He felt around under his bed, looking for something he could possibly hit this intruder with, but once his fingers brushed across the metal ankh, he tensed.

"Now what do you think you're doing?" The voice was right by his ear, and he swallowed hard, stiff with anticipation. "I don't think you need to be grabbing anything from under there..." He gently pulled the pharaoh's hand away, and laced their fingers together.

"How dare you touch me as if you know me?" He growled, trying to pull his hand away.

"How dare you not acknowledge me as if I am nothing?" He countered, pulling the pharaoh closer, and onto his feet.

"What are you talking about? Let go of me, now! Guards!"

"It's not use, Pharaoh; I've knocked them all unconscious. You're so stupid; you never even realized it when you opened the door. In fact, you didn't even realize that you let me in, did you?"

So that was who knocked on the door! But who exactly was this that dared to speak to him like this, not to mention touch him!

"I don't know what you're talking-"

"Still wondering who I am, Pharaoh? Let me give you a hint... Let's see... you've captured me four times, and I've escaped four times, because your pathetic excuse for guards can't even see me when I walk right past them. Isn't that right?"

"The King of Thieves..." He said blankly. "Oh... it's just you. What was your name, again? King of Thieves is rather long."

Just... you? What's your name? The tomb robber felt himself twitch. That was it. He grabbed his dagger, unsheathing it from his side and holding it to the Pharaoh's neck. "Just me? I'll make you regret those words."

The Pharaoh remained silent, well aware of the danger that was presented to him. He finally found himself getting frightened, and he licked his suddenly dry lips. Sighing softly, he relaxed some. "Alright, King of Thieves, you have me. What do you plan on doing with me, now?"

"Oh, you'll find out. Don't worry. We're just going to.... take a little trip."

Scythe: (1) Primitive Kool-Aid XDDDDDD

Bakura: Finally, I get some action.

Yami: I'm so clever...

Bakura: -twitch- yeah, clever enough to get caught, you stupid pharaoh.

Scythe: sweatdrops Anywho, please review... I hope you liked it!


	4. Fenuku

Scythe: Ok Time for another rant! For those of you 'wonderful' writers out there doing POV stories.... PICK a goddamned POV to write in, and stick with it. It's ok if its like... switched every chapter, but not switched twenty times in ONE chapter! And for Ra's sake run a friggin' spell check! If you don't have a spell check, then get a stupid dictionary, ok? You write this little thing like: Oh yeah, I don't how to spell it, sorry. But we already know that, we can SEE that you can't spell it. So do us all a favor, get a dictionary, or better software, and spare us the crap. Thank you. Also, to people who have to go back and read my summary again to actually know what pairing this is... For Ra's sake, know what you're reading. One, I write out who the pairing is in every chapter, do you not read my rants? READ MY RANTS. If I keep getting idiotic people reviewing my story or sending me e-mail asking which pairing my story is... I will put, in the middle of the story: READ MY GOD DAMN RANTS.

Bakura: coughPERIODcough

Scythe: kills Bakura Any who! Also for those of you who are slightly confused ABOUT BAKURA, I have come to explain. Yes, he is going to be slightly out of character in some parts, but I will try and keep it to a minimum. AND, also, the way I portray Bakura in this story may be slightly different from the typical: Bastard, kill all thing, ok? There are some hints and things that lead me to this, so it's not as if I just like, came up with this randomly. It is based off of what I have gathered from the series and books.

Bakura: x.x

Warning: YAOI. Lemon to come in later chapters (soon, actually). Random (probably sick) Humor. Seth/Atem. Bakura/Atem. Language.

Thank You's: Anastasia- For being my editor of doom.

Sheero- because you are my inspiration since we basically RP this story XD You butt.

mic1211- 'Cause I didn't know that Dorobou was Bakura. ; Yes, I may seem dumb, but I'm really not, I just haven't watched/read the entire series. Thank you. (That and you read my rants )

WTF?'s: none

Reviewer answers:

Sheero- You're a butt XD I love you.

Marsdemon- You're my sexy editor! XD Yes, and you get to edit this chapter. And yeah, I kind of figured they burned oil and fat... but I'm lazy... and since I don't know how that stuff works, we're sticking with candles. YESS! lol

Nelly- Thank you for loving my chapter/story, and thank you for loving the stupid guards lol. But yes, Bakura could escape even if the guards were smart... he's the king of thieves remember? And those that don't review, and only read, are butts ;; And by the way... Pleaasseee only push the review button ONCE.

Mousey- Thank you for reviewing! I like you because you like the way I write Atem. How he isn't scared of Bakura and what not. Haha.

Sasameyuki- What does Bakura plan on doing, you ask? Well... you get to find out now, don't you? Here's Chappy 4!!

Fluffys-sidekick- Thank you for reviewing, here is chapter 4!

Blue Talon Dragon- Damn it! You're STILL here?! Ugh, I thought if I could make it crappy enough you'd go away! No, I'm just kidding. I love you XD. Thanks for Reviewing!

Muffinsnail- First off, that's TWO questions! So maybe I should only answer one of them, hmm? Hmm???? No I'm kidding. Well, as for your first question, the Pharaoh is NOT twelve, and yes, I will tell you his age, because Bakura doesn't know how old he is, therefore he asks later... cause he also thinks he's like... 14 XD But he isn't... So just stick tight and watch for it, keeday? And for your second question about the ankh under the bed, YES Bakura knew it was there... just use your imagination, man. I'm writing this damn thing, and I provide 90% of the action and stuff so fill that other 10% in with your imagination. e.e That's just the way I write. Thank you for reviewing. (Bakura: Feel lucky, she almost put your review answer under the WTF's Section...)

Queenoftheskies16- ...You have a really long name... but anyways, thanks for reviewing, here's chapter 4!

Toki Mirage- Love the name. Any who, I don't DO big chapters, I'm sorry... I could if I wanted to... but... I dunno... sometimes it's just easier to do smaller ones because then I can get my point across very easily, and then it's easier to do cliffhangers . Thanks for reviewing.

Mic1211- Shankyuu. I now know that Dorobou is Bakura. ... But.. that is such an ugly name... so.. I'm sticking with Bakura His other name is Kurai or something... Too many names... Bakura is prettiest.

Chance Meeting- Chapter 4

The last thing Atem remembered was a knife held to his neck, and the king of thieves threatening him... Now, he was in the hot sand, far from his palace, and being carried over someone shoulder. It was a very bony shoulder... and it was digging into his stomach... and it hurt... and he guessed he'd have a bruise there later.

His vision was very blurred, and his throat scratchy. His skin felt disgustingly dry, and his hair felt oily. How long had it been? Raising his vision slowly, he saw in front of him thieves... lots of thieves... and they were all walking behind whoever it was that held him, though it wasn't Bakura, as he heard the Tomb Robber farther ahead.

"This is where we will rest for the night!" The white haired, beautifully tanned thief rode back around on his camel(1), orders thrown this way and that. "And you, you set up my tent." He said to a man. Atem groaned as a sudden wash of pain overtook him. He reached up with his aching limb, and held his head. He was practically thrown down into the hot sand and he landed with a thud on his bottom. He hissed and looked up, ready to shout, but the King of thieves leapt from his camel and landed onto the sand in front of him.

"Well, well, well. The pharaoh has awoken from his coma." He leaned down and smirked in his face. "By the looks of it, you seem to be in pain. Get used to it fast. You," He straightened, pointing to the one that was about to set up his tent. "Forget what I said, **this** one will be setting up my tent." He pointed down to the pharaoh, and the nameless thief snickered softly.

"Yes, sir"

Atem blinked, tilting his head slightly in confusion... HE would be setting up a tent? He gaped suddenly. "I must set up the tent? How dare you suggest such a thing!"

"Get up off your lazy ass, and set up my tent, Pharaoh."

The pharaoh ignored him, staring straight out towards where they had come from, wishing this had never happened. Bakura twitched. How he hated to be ignored. "Don't ignore me, pharaoh."

Nothing in return.

"PHARAOH!" He grabbed him by the arm, lifted him up and stared directly into his crimson eyes. "Rule one, don't ignore me, rule two, you aren't pharaoh out here, you're under my command, and rule three, what I say goes, now move your ass and make my tent!" He shoved him towards the poles and canvas, nearly making him trip.

Eventually the little pharaoh glared at him and looked at the mass of... stuff. He didn't know what to do. He'd never made a tent before, as his servants would always do it for him. He swallowed some and picked up a pole, shoving it into the sand, then the other, and shoving it, too, in the sand, and then he threw the canvas over it... and it fell over. He twitched and crossed his arms, glaring at it.

"Oh, I get it. You've never made a tent before." One of the other thieves said, snickering. The pharaoh ignored him, didn't even look at him lest he dirty his godly eyes by looking at that filth.

"Quiet. Leave him alone, Hanif." Bakura's voice thundered in anger. "He won't make my tent if you're bothering him. Let him figure it out..."

Said Hanif looked over to his leader, glaring slightly and moving over to his little group of friends. They were sitting about, their tents all built and ready. One of them was starting a fire.

"I've noticed that Bakura ain't actin' like he usually does. You think all that escapin' an' capturin' the pharaoh and what not gots 'im in the clouds?"

"Perhaps," one of the more composed, and educated thieves said, the one who was starting the fire. He had beautifully tanned skin, not a scratch on it, unlike most thieves who had scars and scrapes or marks. His hair was a bright blonde, and graced down his shoulders, and his body was thin and lithe, but powerful and flexible. Though most would think of him as a failure at being a thief, since he had not a scratch, he was actually one of the better, considered to be one of Bakura's closest 'friends'. Of course, most knew that 'friend' didn't mean friend, not to Bakura. "I've noticed he's been acting strangely when it comes to the pharaoh. You'd think he wouldn't care if we banged him up a little, but he doesn't want us to touch him, or there will be bloodshed."

"I think you're right, Fenuku. You don't think he could be... smitten, do you?"

"No! Never. Not Bakura." Fenuku replied. He was squatting down, elbows rested on his thighs and fingers folded together, in which he placed his chin upon. He glared slightly at the pharaoh, who was setting up the tent, now with Bakura's help. He saw, much to his jealousy, a small bit of laughter, true laughter, come from the king of thieves as the Pharaoh fumbled, then yelled at him.

Bakura just smirked, and they built the tent up together. It was the largest of all tents, seeing as Bakura was the leader here. One could stand in that tent, whereas in the other tents you could not. Finally, once everyone was set up, Bakura came over to the fire. It was well past dark now.

"How's the pharaoh?" Fenuku asked softly, as so no one but Bakura could hear.

"He's fine. He's fairing well, actually, for doing a bit of work for once."

Fenuku scoffed. "And what was so funny when you were trying to set up your tent?"

"Ah. He was just being his stupid self and tried to order me to do it for him. It was quite amusing. Will you be staying in my tent with us?"

"Yes, I will, if you don't mind."

"Of course not. You're the only one I can trust around here."

"Mm, thank you, Bakura. Pardon me, but where is the pharaoh? It isn't wise to leave him alone."

"He's pouting and setting up the inside of the tent. And don't worry, there isn't-"

"GAH!"

Bakura turned at the distant, muffled sound of the pharaoh crying out and sighed, walking to the tent and opening the flap.

"What is it?"

"There's a scorpion... go kill it!" Atem said, blushing slightly in embarrassment.

"What? Where? You're afraid of a little scorpion?" Bakura looked about and the pharaoh pointed at the black lump near the corner. He licked his lips. It **did **look like a scorpion... He kicked it and twitched. "You imbecile! That's a rock!"

"Yes, it's a rock scorpion! It STUNG me! Look!" He held out his hand, showing him the scratch...

Bakura twitched in irritation. Either, the Pharaoh was messing with him, or he was extremely... stupid? He grabbed the rock and tossed it outside.

"Gah! Tomb Robber!" He cried, grabbing onto his hand and examining it. "Did it sting you?!"

"No, you stupid Pharaoh, don't touch me..."

The Pharaoh glared and slapped him across the face, hard... harder than the thief would have liked. Bakura looked down at the pharaoh, narrowing his eyes.

"Very funny, Tomb Robber!"

"Were you worried about me?" He asked mockingly.

"No, you're my ticket out of here. You're the only one who looks like you don't want to kill me! All those ugly people out there glare at me as if I'm some kind of dangerous bug that needs to be squashed!"

"Whatever. Come with me. We have a fire going." He grabbed the Pharaoh roughly by the arm, about to drag him, but he stopped. He turned and looked at Atem's arms... They were covered in gold. Come to think of it, he still had all his gold on. "Take that off... and that as well, and these. Take off your gold and put them in that bag!"

"No! These are mine!"

"And you are mine, and now whatever you own is mine as well, so take it all off and put it in the Ra damned bag, you stupid Pharaoh or I'll have to remove it by force."

The royalty in question just sat there for a moment, and then began to remove his gold, slowly but steadily, placing it in the 'plunder bag'. Once done, he crossed his arms, glaring slightly out at nothing. He felt so... so naked without his gold.

"Come on then." Bakura jerked him out of the tent, and into the crowd of thieves. Everyone went silent, watching the pharaoh with awe and hatred all the same. Hanif was staring at him quietly. His muscled body was clothed in nothing but a loin cloth. His short, brown hair was unkempt and in disarray, but was healthy none the less. He had been the one to carry the pharaoh the entire way, and he felt as if he should get something for that... and what he found himself wanting was the pharaoh himself. Why? He couldn't quite tell, but he knew what he wanted, and he always **got** what he wanted.

After a while, people began to talk amongst themselves again, mostly about the pharaoh. The said royalty was clinging onto Bakura and glaring, keeping his gaze above them all. He wouldn't be caught dead looking any of them in the eye.

"This is Fenuku," Bakura started, "he will be staying with us in the tent tonight."

Atem risked a glance down, and saw a very... well, attractive young man, hardly a blemish on him. It was hard to believe he was a thief.

"It is an honor to meet you, Pharaoh." Fenuku said softly.

"At least someone has some class around here." Atem hissed to Bakura. The white haired thief just rolled his eyes and put his hands on his hips.

"Enough of that, Fenuku. Don't make him feel as if he is welcome here."

"Of course, Bakura."

"Come on, stupid Pharaoh. I'm getting cold." He dragged him over to the fire and sat him down in the cold sand, a firm grip on his wrist the entire time they sat there. He said no words, and kept his eyes on the fire, or on the sand. Many thieves taunted him, but he made no move to acknowledge them. He didn't even acknowledge Bakura, which only ticked the King of thieves off more than ever. He snapped at everyone to shut up, shoving him to Fenuku. "Watch him, and no one talk to him, except you, Fenuku. Get him what he needs... water or food. He's been out the whole day."

"Yes, sir." Fenuku said, watching the King of Thieves storm off to brute alone. Fenuku gently lifted the pharaoh and glared at everyone else, pulling him away and asking if he wanted anything.

"Food and water." Atem replied simply, trying not to gaze at his beautiful face.

"Right. I can get you water now, but the food won't be ready until later."

"Fine."

Waiting there, the pharaoh peered around cautiously. He didn't want any of those damned thieves sneaking up on him. They all seemed to back down after Bakura got irritated and... come to think of it, where was that Tomb Robber? Atem shifted his eyes to the left, then the right, and he saw Bakura by the tent. It looked as if he was just staring up at the stars. Atem followed his gaze, and saw that he was not, in fact, looking at the stars, but a bird that was coming towards them... A messenger hawk?

He narrowed his eyes and saw the hawk land on Bakura's arm. It was hard to see, but Bakura took something from his foot, and read it. The Tomb Robber smirked softly and pocketed the note, letting the bird hop onto his shoulder and he walked back to the large group.

He appeared to be looking for something, or someone, and once he spotted Atem, he strode over to him, and took him by the chin. "Where's Fenuku?"

"He went to fetch me water." He said obediently, yet still glaring.

"I see."

The hawk tilted his head, looking at Atem, and leaned forward, snapping at him some. Atem, unfazed, held out his hand and let the bird bite him. The sharp pain that coursed through him only lasted a moment, and he found the bird on his hand then.

Bakura seemed shocked. Apparently, the bird didn't trust anyone but him, and to see him respect the pharaoh probably made him sick to his stomach.

Just then, Fenuku came back, pouch of water in hand, and he visibly brightened. "Thalius!"

The bird squawked a little and jumped off of Atem's arm, and onto the thief's shoulder. "When did he get back?" Fenuku asked, excitedly to Bakura.

"Just now."

"Ah, I see! And the letter?"

"The other band of thieves are moving south west, towards the Nile. If we can intercept them, we can execute our plan."

"Right."

"Plan? What plan?" Atem asked, as if he were a thief himself.

"It won't matter to you. It's dirty work, and hopefully, if your high priests aren't GLAD to be rid of you, we'll have our ransom by then, so you won't be in our way." Bakura replied, stiffly and with anger.

"How dare you?" Atem asked, dangerously low.

"Easily, now why don't you go back to the tent before I get angry?"

Fenuku just watched the two argue. He was slightly confused. He'd just realized that, when he got to these two, it was not Bakura that was holding his bird, but the pharaoh. Even though the bird was taught to hate the pharaoh, just as they had, he'd sat on his hand? He'd given him that privilege? But when he looked down, he saw that the pharaoh, indeed, did not come out unscathed... in fact, he was bleeding from his finger, presumably where Thalius had bitten him?

Had the bird tasted his blood and realized he was a living god? Perhaps, perhaps not...

Gently Fenuku nuzzled his bird(2), and watched the two bicker all the way back into the tent. He'd join them later... but for now, he needed to think.

Seth was in frenzy. Not only was his toy gone, but only Ra knew what was happening to him. Frankly, he probably shouldn't even care, since he would be in charge, but still. Glaring at everything that moved, Seth snapped orders and sent out a search party. He would find his pet, and he would kill that Tomb Robber.

AN: (1) The camel thing: Lmfao... Just... thinking of Bakura on a Camel makes me giggle. It's not like a hot image of Bakura on a steed or something XD.

(2) Yes, it is Fenuku's bird, NOT Bakura's. Just to clear that up. I wasn't sure if I made that clear or not. The part where it says it was Bakura's was just Atem's speculation.

Scythe: Well? Kind of a ... strange chapter, hmm? But it's only the beginning of my story . This chapter had.... attempted humor in it... cough it wasn't very funny, though, was it? XD

Bakura: No... it wasn't... and shut up about the camel thing...  
  
Scythe: Hahahahah... shut up Bakura Please review? (read my rants)


	5. Ryou

Scythe: FINALLY, I have produced Chapter 5 from my loins. Yay.

Warnings: Mentions of Rape. Yaoi. The standard other stuff.

Review answers: None this time. I don't have enough time to do so, but please continue to review, I'll reply to you guys next time.

Chapter 5

Bakura dragged the pharaoh into the tent with him, glaring and hissing and ranting on about how stupid the pharaoh was, and how much he hated him, and so forth and so on. The pharaoh eventually stopped trying to defend himself and ignored him again, which only served to anger the tomb robber even more, though, this time, Bakura didn't show it. He just glared and watched him out of the corner of his eye, shutting up.

Atem sighed. He wondered what state his palace was in now. He was sure it was devastated. The gods would surely condemn him for being so weak as to be kidnapped. The very thought made him queasy.

The cold was starting to latch onto them with its painful bite, and the young pharaoh found himself shivering slightly. Bakura grumbled something about being tired and scratched behind his head, looking around, and then crouching as he dug out some blankets. But, the pharaoh wondered, would this Tomb robber share some of those blankets with him?

"Come here, stupid pharaoh." The Tomb Robber said, sitting on his bed spot, surrounded by a pile of blankets.

Obediently, the said pharaoh crawled over and sat next to him, glaring slightly at the tent's canvas wall.

His glare changed to a look of surprise when he felt blankets around him, and he looked up at the Tomb Robber, puzzled.

"Don't get any ideas. You're still not welcome. But what good would it do if I gave you back to them dead, hmm? So just shut up, lay down, and go to sleep. There's a lot of travel coming up, and I can't have someone hauling your Ra damned weight around all the time."

Sighing, Atem slowly lowered himself, wondering if Bakura was going to kill him during the night. Was he being lead on? Was this whole thing just a way to get money and then assassinate him? Why was he always used as this kind of a tool?

He turned his back on the Tomb Robber, knowing it was dangerous, but he felt that the Tomb Robber would do no such harm to him. Though, he had no clue why. He shouldn't feel so secure with these filthy people.

Bakura just stared at his back for a long while. The pharaoh was not being his true self, anyone could tell. He wasn't pleasant, he certainly wasn't stupid or ditzy, so what the hell was he doing? Had he misjudged him? No, he suddenly realized, the stupid pharaoh was trying to trick him into underestimating him. That had to be it. But... Could a pharaoh so young possess any sort of power that would be considered threatening? Surely not...

How old **was** the pharaoh? He narrowed his eyes. One might think him to be only sixteen years at first glance, but he had to be at least nineteen. Not much younger than Bakura himself, who was twenty-two. Yes, that sounded right. He remembered some of the older Tomb Robbers speaking of when the Pharaoh was born. Why couldn't it have been **him** to be the pharaoh? Why did it have to be this stupid brat? _I could do a much better job at being pharaoh than this amateur,_ Bakura thought to himself. But could he really, he wondered?

Letting out an irritated breath, he concentrated on something else. He listened intently to what was going on outside. It sounded as if everyone was shuffling off to bed, aware of the fact they would need to get up early and travel for a long ways. Fenuku would be joining them soon, he concluded. It appeared that he'd already come in and made himself a place to stay, but he would invite him into bed with him, as it got cold quickly, and being alone was no good.

Sure enough, just as he had concluded this thought, Fenuku himself slid into the tent quietly. He moved over the pharaoh, and sat directly in Bakura's lap, straddling him.

The white haired Tomb Robber lifted a brow, but smirked slightly. "Been without for a while, Fenuku?" He taunted.

"Perhaps." And with that, he sealed his lips over Bakura's, kissing him deeply.

Atem flinched, hearing them exchange their... saliva with each other. Did they not realize he was awake, or did they not care? He shifted and turned to his back, keeping his eyes closed to avoid looking at them. They didn't stop. That took care of that question.

For a while, he just listened to them, hearing moans and shuffling of clothes. He crinkled his nose and opened his eyes just a smidge, to gaze up at the ceiling, but his eyes, naturally, lead him down to the two that were romping next to him.

His eyes flung open. He'd caught a glimpse of something in Fenuku's hand. But the other Tomb Robber was glaring at him now as Bakura kissed down his neck, and the pharaoh realized it wasn't supposed to be seen...

_Well, I'm dead._ He thought, blinking slightly.

"What is it, Fenuku?" Bakura asked, noticing that Fenuku was looking at the pharaoh.

"Well, it seems our captive wants to watch, but why just watch? Why don't you join us, Pharaoh?" Fenuku taunted. The gaze he was giving him was telling him to shut his mouth and say nothing of what he'd seen. Was it so bad, the pharaoh wondered? And now, was this the way he had to repent? By giving his body to these filthy things? He shuddered to think of what disgrace this would place upon him.

"I've always wanted to know what a god tasted like." The blonde said, narrowing his eyes. This... part of him was so much different than what he'd been exposed to just so long before outside.

He sat up, scooting away slightly. "Don't touch me, filth."

This seemed to spark something deep within Fenuku, as the man lunged at him, ready to kill, but Bakura held him.

"Whoa, whoa, whoa. Calm down, it's just the pharaoh after all."

"How dare he say something like that!"

"It is only natural, Fenuku. He was brought up to be this way, but we'll show him, won't we?"

"Indeed." The other replied, narrowing his eyes dangerously, and then smirking.

The young pharaoh's eyes widened and they both pounced upon Atem. The royalty thrashed and struck out, but to no avail. Fenuku held him steady while Bakura worked his clothes off, as well as his own. Once he achieved that goal, he took Fenuku's place, allowing the blonde to remove his clothes. Together, they rolled the pharaoh onto his stomach and shoved him down, holding him there.

"Now, pharaoh, be a good boy, or we'll have to kill you, or perhaps do something worse." He wasn't sure which one had said it, as he was trying to break free, but it gave him chills. He felt someone move behind him, and someone else shove his head down into their lap. He shuddered, hands pulled behind his back and tied there.

They made his night a living hell.

When the morning came, the young Pharaoh was still awake, and he was still sore. His tear stained cheeks reminded him of the disgrace he'd suffered only hours before. He'd never felt so much pain, nor shed so many tears as he had that night. Was this what it was like, he wondered, in the streets? Were people suffering this kind of indignity and disgrace? He shuddered to think that this sort of thing happened regularly.

It was beginning to warm up already, so he slowly, carefully slipped from the blankets, and got his clothes. He swallowed hard against the sharp, stabbing pains he felt, holding back his urge to gag and vomit. He felt so sick, and deathly tired, he could not even see straight. Somehow, he'd managed to dress himself with shaking hands. It was as if there was a trembling earthquake within his body that would not cease, and yet his heart sank so deeply, he feared he would never be able to regain himself. He wondered, now, what the gods above thought of him.

Not long after he was trying to help himself up, he heard a shuffling and a few coughs from outside.

"Hey, Bakura, should we not begin to move? The sun is already peaking over the horizon." The Pharaoh swallowed hard. He did not want to be seen, and Bakura showed no signs of waking. When the one outside realized this as well, he reached down and grabbed at the flap, opening it slowly.

Just at the last moment, he was pulled away by another asking for help. He gladly went, forgetting almost instantaneously about Bakura, which many tried to do often.

The young royalty took the time to think about what he could do to avoid getting so beaten and battered all the time. He shuddered softly under a slight breeze that carried the last of the chill. Was he doing the right thing; acting powerless? He thought it so. He took a deep breath and finally stood upright. It seemed almost stupid now, that he could not stand before; or so he thought before he began to feel himself topple over.

He could not keep himself up, and he fell straight back... into someone's arms. He flinched slightly, panting and struggling to keep his vision straight.

"You're up early, or should I say down?"

The pharaoh wanted to dispute with him, but could not. His vision was blurring, and his legs felt like jelly. The world was spinning and leaving him behind. His face was very pale, and one could clearly see a hint of purple under his fair eyes.

"Pharaoh?" The one that had caught him asked.

Atem strived to form some sort of response, some way of communicating something, anything. But he could not.

"What the hell is going on?" A voice asked. Atem could not make out who it could be. As these voices became just mumbles and distant sounds, the pharaoh concentrated on the wall of the tent. Was he awake still? Was this all just one long, bad dream? There was always that possibility, he concluded.

Seth stretched himself over the Pharaoh's throne, licking his lips and grinning to himself. He lifted his hand into the air, holding it straight out, and examining his newly acquired gold rings and bracelets. This was the life he was meant to have, he thought to himself. He smirked. It should be that Atem served him, not the other way around, and it would be that way very soon. He already had his plots to get rid of all those that could remove him from power. In fact, he'd already gotten rid of a few; some of the other priests. They all died mysteriously of poisons and bites and sudden heart failures and things. Many servants, too, had died, as they were blamed for poisoning the food, and/or not testing the food right.

_Ah, what a shame_, He thought, shaking his head in mockery. _Too Bad. _There were but a few more and then no one could stop him. And once he acquired this said power, he would have the pharaoh for himself as his slave. And what a slave he would be; so beautiful and cocky; perfect for ravishing.

At the moment, he was alone. He had locked everyone out, saying that he needed some time to 'grieve' and 'think' about his lost pharaoh, and to pray to gods that they would find him. He would keep his act for a long while until even after he had taken the throne, to fool the people, and then hit them hard to make them realize they could do nothing!

_Mm, I should stop plotting so perfectly, I'm exciting myself too much. I may lose my character._

A band of thieves moved down along the Nile, hidden from all eyes but their own. The smallest member of the crew, being but 18 and quite short, was actually the ring leader behind the ring leader. He could control the will of any thief if he wanted to. With his long, shoulder length white hair, and his perfectly tanned skin, with not but a scar upon it, and his lush, glistening skin, he made for many of the thieves' desires. Yet, none were allowed to touch him except the king of these bandits, himself.

Of course, knowing this well, the young ring leader had gotten a few pests that he did not like 'removed' from the group. How he loved being himself. He had made his heart stone after he'd been taken from his family, and his parents slaughtered in front of him. His brother had been taken from him as well, but he'd never seen him slaughtered, nor heard of him thrown into the jails. Perhaps they had taken pity upon him, as they had done for him?

No, he thought, the pharaoh's soldiers were not so kind. It was unlikely they took pity upon him, for his brother was 8 years of age at the time, whereas he was only 4. Despite such a young age, he remembered very clearly every detail of that night. He had no hope for finding his brother. He was sure that he was dead.

"Ryou, you're lagging, speed it up a little. It's not even past mid day yet."

"Of course, sir."

"Slap him, tha' should wake him." Hanif said. There was a bubble of laughter until Bakura silenced them. He still had the pharaoh within his arms.

"Quiet, all of you, now give me space!"

"I don't sees how you can be so concerned wi'this trash, when all 'e's ever done for you 's cause ya' trouble." Hanif kept on. Bakura shot him another icy glare.

"If you murmur one more word, Hanif, I'll impale you and let the pharaoh's soldiers find you! Keep your illiterate tongue still, and give me space!" He shouted. "Get ready for departure; we leave in less than a shift. Take my tent down and pack it up. And fetch my camel!"

They all divided and set about their take down, one going to retrieve the camel.

Once it was brought to him, he stood and motioned for Fenuku to help him shove the pharaoh onto the camel.

"Do you think we were a little to rough on him last night, Bakura?"

"Perhaps, but no more than he deserves Fenuku. Keep your mind unclouded by his sickness. For all we know he could be acting."

"Then perhaps you really should slap him." Fenuku joked. Bakura only smiled. It made him feel only a little better about the situation. He knew the pharaoh wasn't acting, which, for some reason, frightened him. Why, he wondered? Perhaps he was worried he would not make it, and then they would not get their ransom? It was most likely so. All he knew, is that he didn't want him to die.

Scythe: Sorry this one took so long to get out. I've been busy with rehearsals for the Fall Play. Oh, and you can also thank SHEERO for this lack of updatey-ness, because she was supposed to draw me a picture or else I would not continue the story (XD I'm evil) And she did, but she keeps forgetting to bring it to me, so I decided to give you guys a break and update. How was it?


	6. Changes

Scythe: WOOOO finally. Chapta six! You can thank SHEERO for this one... she bugged me to no end. Heh. OK.. I'm skipping all the crap and going straight to the story. Have fun. Ok.. So I was reading my story over again so that I could continue it for you all.. annnddd... I definitely realized that this is the most SEXUAL story EVER... at least that I have written.. lol.. Everything is like... manipulate with sex, blah blah.. I find it so amusing! I love it, so I'm continuing.

Chapter 6

The young boy of 18 and untamed white hair watched the Nile in his glittering eyes. How he longed to just jump into the far away river and swim to his hearts content at this moment. His band of thieves was not well known around the cities, so they could lodge and buy supplies almost anywhere without commotion, unlike the supposed 'King of Thieves'. He saw scrolls and postings everywhere after him, offering rewards. 'Dead or Alive' they say, he thought with a scoff. Must be pretty dangerous then... or lucky. But then again the pharaoh's guards needed some serious training, did they not? He had a strange feeling... no, a strange urge to meet his king of thieves and show him a thing or two, whether it was in the art of seduction, or the art of fighting. He wasn't half bad for a scrawny little 18 year old. He could kill his 'leader' in the blink of an eye if he wanted. But, he rather liked the protection and pampering he got from him, so he kept him around.

Ryou's mind drifted back to his brother... For some reason, remembering his sibling was becoming harder and harder... he'd forgotten his name long ago. He'd felt so guilty then, but now that he realized he was probably dead, he didn't care at all.

The young thief looked up as he was being summoned by his leader and smiled softly at him. "Yes, sir?"

"We have word from Fenuku," he started, holding out the bird that was perched on his arm.

"Perfect." Ryou said, smirking evilly. One of the reasons the leader confided in him information, was because he really did enjoy evil scheming and he always had good ideas. One would almost wonder why HE wasn't the leader, but he wouldn't admit to that.

"Hm. It seems they are going to 'intercept' us. Fenuku will tell them a false time and placement, and we will come from behind to capture the king of thieves and kill him, then take that name for ourselves after we collect the reward."

"How interesting."

"But..." The Older one said, narrowing his eyes. "I've just gotten word that... The Pharaoh is with them."

"The Pharaoh! What on earth..? How, why?" Ryou asked quickly, suspicious.

"The king of thieves seems to have kidnapped him."

"How very nice..." Ryou said slowly, his lips curling up into a delighted smirk. "We will take the Pharaoh. No doubt they are holding him for ransom. We will take the ransom instead."

"Yes, I was thinking the same thing."

Of course you were, bastard, Ryou thought sarcastically, but keeping his innocently little smile on his face.

It had been two months since the capture of the Pharaoh. He'd thought the first spout of sickness a few weeks before had been bad... but now... It seemed the poor Pharaoh was on the verge of fighting for his life... He needed to get him to the doctor fast.

Once again upon his camel, he noticed that the sky was growing dark, and all the heat that had been gathering was disappearing much quicker then it had come. In fact, these clouds really had come out of no where, from a clear blue, hot sky to suddenly dark and gloomy. Bakura remembered the old tales that his parents had told him, that he, somehow, still remembered, and he looked down at the Pharaoh. "Are you doing all this?" He asked quietly as the Pharaoh would mumble things in his sleep. He could never tell what he was saying, but once, the young royalty had begun to cry, which worried him the most, because he, in fact, had never been a crybaby... Whiny, yes, but he knew for a fact that the Pharaoh wouldn't let anyone see him cry if his life depended on it.

The beautiful young ruler was very pale at this moment, and his breath was faster then it should have been for someone who was sleeping. Bakura couldn't help but worry and wonder what might be wrong with him.

Just then, Fenuku came up to him, looking at the sky and shielding his eyes from what little sunlight was left. "I fear that this storm is so sudden and we have nowhere to hide or take shelter. This is irregular. I hope the Nile does not flood from this unexpected turn in the weather."

"It just might, Fenuku, and I know that prices for food will go up if it does. Hopefully your bag is full with gold, because this might be a long storm..."

That's not what I'm worried about, Fenuku thought with a frown. He quickly brushed off the thought of the others and just nodded. "I recommend we find somewhere to pitch our tents or lodge."

"We are nearing the Nile, there should be more bouts of green here and there. Send a scout to go ahead and look for an area, and we'll pitch our tents."

"Right." Fenuku said.

"Oh, and Fenuku?"

"Yes, Bakura?"

"What should we put in our next massage for the bird to carry?"

Fenuku tensed. WHY did he have to be thinking about that at a time like this? "I've already sent the message, sir."

"You what!"

"Bakura, understand my reasoning! You were so consumed with the caring of the Pharaoh, I did not want to disturb you. Y-You were so stressed, I did not want you to have to deal with such a petty message."

"And what exactly was on the message?" The thief demanded icily.

"I just told them to keep gathering information and stay out of sight."

This seemed to satisfy Bakura, and he waved him off. Fenuku bowed slightly and left to send the scout off.

This did not, however, sit well with Bakura after all. He was just simply too worried and stressed to deal with that. It seemed he could not trust Fenuku as well as he thought.

A small portion of the army from the palace was hot on his trail, and the Pharaoh, sick. Fenuku was acting strangely lately, and his band of thieves seemed to get more stupid each moment of the day, and, stranger still, many of his thieves had died on this journey, though it was neither strenuous nor life threatening. They had plenty of fresh water and food, plenty of rest, and Bakura did not make them work hard at all. He practically pampered them! So why had they been dropping dead like flies?

Bringing him from his thoughts was a stirring Pharaoh, who, for once, opened his eyes and peered up at him through half lidded eyes. And, surprising the off guard Tomb Robber, smiled weakly at him.

Bakura's eyes visibly widened at this strange behavior. Atem then huffed softly and reached up with his hand, panting softly despite the small effort, and Bakura took that hand and was about to force it back down, but the young ruler spoke softly to him.

"Even though you're putting me through hell..." he started weakly. "Thank you... f-for watching after me..." He said, which was visibly hurtful to his ego and pride, as he shifted his eyes away in embarrassment

The Pharaoh had just said THANK YOU to him? He **must** be sick. But he found himself softening and even smiling back a bit. "No problem." He said, without even thinking.

What the hell was wrong with him?

"Damn that Pharaoh and all he is worth. I hate him. I just want you dead, Bakura. And once you're dead, I can shove that Pharaoh off to the others and they won't treat him like he's glass. They'll give him what he deserves... which is pain... very much pain. He's the one that killed your parents, and yet you coddle him like a lover?" This angry speech was spouted as Fenuku watched for his bird, anything that might make him at least a little happier. He shoved a pole into the cold sand, growling and wishing he'd shoved it through Atem's head. "Bakura doesn't realize how hard he's fallen for you... and you for him. Neither of you even realize it... And I hate you both for it... You weren't supposed to fall in LOVE!" He cried out, shoving another pole into the sand at that horrid word.

Fenuku hissed and threw his pack down on the ground. "I was banished from the tent because of you, Pharaoh, because of your 'sickness' he said. 'I don't want you to get sick' he said. 'When this is all over we're figure something out' he said! I'm losing patience with both of you very quickly." He said to himself in rage, staring over at where his object of hate resided in Bakura's arms as he stood now, in the sand and ordered the pathetic pawns around to do his bidding.

"Remind me again why I'm doing this..." He said to himself again, rubbing his forehead. "Oh, right, because I want to win the favor of our leader... That sleazy little Ryou is probably half way down his pants right now, if not having been down his pants at least several times already..." He growled. "That little slut. He'd sleep with anyone to gain favor. And, that's what he does. Hmph, Bakura won't even want him as a brother once he finds out about his 'work'." And that's when he got the brightest little idea.

In the privacy of his own tent, the King of Thieves watched over his poor pharaoh, gently stroking his face with such a tenderness, even he didn't seem to believe he was doing it. By now, he'd gotten a small basin of water and was gently wiping the delicate forehead of the royalty in his bedding. The sorrow and worry that consumed his emotions scared him out of his own mind. To think that he had such feelings for the... _thing_ that had killed his parents- had caused such sorrow within the country- had shed so much blood to obtain riches and respect from others. It was so hard to believe that the frail man before him could be the cause of it... in fact... he was beginning to doubt himself. It was written in stone, practically, but was it possible that it _wasn't_ the pharaoh's fault?

Pushing those thoughts aside, he concentrated on the task at hand, gently dabbing the sweat covered pharaoh with a damp rag. "You'll get through this, I promise." Bakura whispered slowly, his eyes melting with emotion- with love, even if he didn't realize it.

The storm thundered above the land of Egypt and Seth had to start as he suddenly looked out of the window, staring at the dark, ominous sky. The only thought that passed through his mind was not a pleasant one. What had happened to his pharaoh? His fists clenched at his sides. Something was up, and if that Thief ever came into his grasp he would kill him.

"High priest Seth," came a soft, female voice.

"Yes? Come in." He said, not turning his face from the deep sky before him.

"We have just reached word that the band of thieves are nearing the Nile and should be there in one days travel. The Pharaoh appears to be sick, and the guards are right behind them, ready and waiting for your order."

"I see." He contemplated this for a long while. The sooner he got his toy back the better, for as much as he loved ruling the country, he had to be careful so that the other priests would not know he was fulfilling his own dreams and confirm their previous suspicions of controlling behind the pharaohs back. Taking a deep breath he smirked slightly. "Tell them to advance and take the Pharaoh and kill everyone in their path, but bring the 'king of thieves' to me, and if I hear _any_ word about that man escaping, tell them not to bother returning."

"Yes sir," said the girl and she got up from her knees and left the archway door to relay the message.

Seth finally turned to look out the door, only to return his gaze back to the outside world and found himself sighing softly and saying,

"Atem... come back to me."

Scythe: Yeah I know it was short, but this chapter was already half written when I got to it, so I had to go off of that, and I promise that the next chapter will be longer.


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